Estimation of meteorological parameters for air quality management: Coupling of sodar data with simple numerical models
Melas D., Abbate G., Haralampopoulos D. and Kelesidis A.
[abstract] In the present paper an attempt is made to couple together sodar data and simple numerical models in order to calculate the wind field and the boundary layer parameters that are relevant to air quality monitoring and studies. For this purpose a diagnostic, mass-consistent wind field model, and a mixed-layer model are utilized. The sodar data used in the present analysis were taken from three Doppler sodars that were operating in the area of Rome, Italy. A similarity method for the convective boundary layer is used to calculate the surface fluxes of heat and momentum from sodar measurements of the mean horizontal wind and the vertical velocity variance. The calculated surface fluxes of heat and momentum are used as input data to the mixed-layer model. The day chosen for the analysis is the 18th of July, 1992, when a sea-breeze circulation has developed in the area. The main characteristics of the wind field and the boundary layer structure are presented and discussed.